Remarkable Creatures
Tracy Chevalier
Dutton, Jan 5 2010, $25.95
ISBN: 9780525951452
Born in 1799 in Lyme Regis, England, her father gave his daughter quite an education to search for the “curies” of life that can be found by the beach so they can sell their catch to wealthy tourists. This was Mary Anning’s training at paleontology fossil hunting. She became one of the best and hr research led to her belief that the age of the earth was much older than that of the Old Testament as proof of an age with gigantic creatures before humanity (and Darwin) existed.
Elizabeth Philpot and her family come to coastal England for their brother’s marriage. She meets Mary and enjoys the fossil hunter’s tales. They become friends and partners searching for the bones of pre mankind. When Mary discovers fully intact dinosaur remains, Elizabeth speaks for both of them in front of the science community that detests females in their business and several try to rip off the find as theirs. However their BFF is tested when Colonel Thomas Birch arrives in Lyme Regis to ask Mary to help him on his fossil hunt.
Based on real people who made incredible contributions to paleontology before Darwin, Remarkable Creatures is an entertaining historical fiction that showcases the strength of conviction a woman had to have to do anything outside the accepted limited roles. We come more than just a long way, try light years, from the Regency-Victorian eras. Fans will enjoy Tracy Chevalier’s spotlight on two women who made a difference as their work is still on display in Oxford.
Harriet Klausner
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment